Letter-holder



(No Model) l J. TEETER. LETTER HOLDER.

No. 556,383.. l Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB TEETER, OF HAGERSTOWN, INDIANA.

LETTER-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,383, dated March 17, 1896.

Application led July 8, 1895. Serial No. 555,198. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB TEETER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hagers= town, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Holders; and Il do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention pertains to devices or means for holdingr packages, and while it is designed primarily for use in connection with letters and the like in post-oifices it Will be readily understood that it is applicable to other uses.

The invention has for its objects among others to provide a simple and cheap device for use in bundling letters and the like which will save the time of the clerk as well as the Government in twine and wrapping-cord, and which will also be so much more easily handled both at the shipping and receiving end as to render it a desirable article. It will serve equally as well for temporary as a permanent holder. It is elastic, so as to permit of the ready reception of a number of letters and yet iirlnly hold them. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the novel features thereof will be specifically deiined by the appended claims. l

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a plan View showing a package of letters held by one of my improved holders. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the holder. Fig. 3 is a View showing the manner of applying the holder, illustrating a modified form thereof.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now t0 the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the plates, of any suitable material, preferably metal, and two in number. These plates may be of any desired shape-such, for instance, as shownbeing illustrated as substantially diamond shape, although they may be square, circular or oval or other form, and projecting therefromare the teats or projections a, to which are secured in any suitable manner, as by solder, the coiled springs B, which may be of any suitable length and of a size of wire according to the size of the bundle and character of the articles to be bundled. By preference, when designed for letters, tWo of the springs are shorter than the other two, as shown, the short springs being arranged diametrically opposite each other and adapted to embrace the letters across the shorter diameter thereof, as shown.

Instead of making the plates as shown in Figs. l and 2, they may be skeleton plates A, as seen in Fig. 3, which are similar in all respects to the plates A shown in Figs. 1 and 2, except that they are not solid, as in said views.

In practice the holders may be applied in any convenient manner. In Fig. 3 is shown the most convenient way. The springs readily ,expand to allow of the insertion of the package and then contract to firmly hold the letters, yet hold sufficiently yieldingly to prevent any injury thereto.

The advantages of such a device over twine and the delay and time consumed both in wrappin g the packages and in unwrapping them will be apparent. There is a great saving not only in time but in the cost, as the holders can be used time and time again. In fact,

a single holder should last for an indelinite number of times for wrapping of bundles.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacriiicing any of its advantages.

What is claimed as new isl. A holder for letters and the like, consisting of two oppositely-disposed plates and yielding bands connected to and joining said plates, said bands being disposed at right angles, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The holder described, vconsisting of the plates and the springs held at their ends to said plates, the diametrically-opposite springs being of the same length with one set longer than the other, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed this speciiication in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JACOB TEETER. Vitnesses C. H. REssLER, GEO. W. Dorno. 

